Immersible salvage vessel



A. J. F. LEE.

VINHJIERSIBLE sALvAGE vEssEL.

Patented Aug. 23; 1921.

3 SHEEATS-SHEET 2.

Ivy-2 AK J. F. LEE.

IMMERSIBLE SALVAGE VESSEL. v APPLICATLON FILED AUG.22, 1919.y 1,388,729. Patented Aug- 23, 1921.,

3 SHEETS-SHEET a. 35'

- salvaging wrecks.

UNITED STATES rix'lialsrr lpolrlcgzr..

y ALBERT JOHN FREDERICK LEVEQQEk MONTREAL, CANADA;

Toallwwmz'tmag/co'ncem: f

e -it known that I, ALBERT JOHNFRED- ERICE LEE, al subject of the King of Great Britain, residing in Montreal, Canada, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in an'Immersible Salvage Vessel, of which the following is a specification.A

A submersible vessel has beenv described in which a centralitunnel of an inverted U section forms a chamber inc losed as to its sides and roofand'open below to the sea water. A smaller vessel canbe inclosed in this tunnel, a cushion of air at the top and sides preventing ycontact between jthe'inner andouter vessels. The outer vessel can at -any time be submerged below thesurface by admitting'wfater into suitably arranged compartments. Y l:

he present inventionfrelates to the construction and useofa`vessel of this type for The objects ofthis invention are to provide a vessel which is readily adapted to operate indifferent depths of water, which, Vas a,unit,includes apparatus and facilities for the complete lsalvage operation,` `and which will permit of vsuch operationsbeing i carried on in a minimum of time and with a maximum degree of safety to Vtheoperatives. With these'and otherobjects in view my invention consists in certain features of structure, combination and relation which Y will be more fully set forth hereinafter.

'In the accompanying drawinga'gFigure 1 is a section of the salvage vessel in'closing the wreck, Fig.2` is a sectional elevation 'of .the stern showing the means for raising the gates; Fig. 3 is a sectional plan correspond ing to Fig. 2 showing means for securing the gates in the closed position, Fig. 3a shows a detail of the means for securing the gate at the end of the vessel in closed position, Fig. 4 yshows a detail of the means for withdrawingV water from a sound hold of the wreck; Fig. 5 shows thefloating air lock. 1

Referring to Figfl, Al is thesalvage vessel and B a wreck lying on the se'av bed 4and over which theV salvage vessel has been dropped. The upper `deck of the vessel A is shown at 1 and the vlower deck at 2; 3 is the enginefroom, 4 the depending legs or sides of the salvage vessel `forming the sides of the tunnel 5. The legs or sides 4 are divided into compartments which can be lled with water acting as ballast in or- Specifcati'onof Letters atnt. Application :ned August 22, 1919. serial No. 319,115.`

The struts of ',"drawings) attached to the Y dotted vA. similar door maybe and ysecured in the *Kwedges 19 provided` with racks Y ated by suitable 4V1111111111snsLrz sALvAGE VESSEL.

` Patented Aug. 23,1921.

der-t0 submerge the vessel and can be emptied to provide the required buoyancy; 6 are reserve buoyancy vor compensating tanks. Pig-iron or other-suitable ballast 1s provided at the bottom of the legs. i 7 is a toweriextending mid-ships from the deck 8 over the engine roomV above the sealevel. a the tower areformed as trunks 7? respectively supplying air to. compressors andto the various parts of the ship and serving for the removal of4 contaminatedair. A platform 9 is provided at the top Vof the tower and a lift 10 serves as means of' access to the vessel. v f

The submersible vessel is hauled down by means of Winches 13 on which are operated by suitable mechanism (not shown) and cables 11 previously attached by divers to thewreck. Rams12 are provided for the purposeY of wreck by means of cables (not shown in the hull Vin -subsequent operations. Cabins for the accommodation of the crewA are shown at 14and air-lock passages '15 enable access to be obtained tothe tunnel 5. i a

water-tight gate or door 16 is provided at the end of the vessel7 e. g., the stern and has arhorizontal hinge connection 17 with the vessel so as to be raised by a crane 18 into the horizontal position,.shown byy the lines in Fig. 2,- or lowered into the vertical position shown bythe full lines.

-usuallyis provided at the bow of the vessel, although permanent plating :may of thexdoors.l

Y As shown in Figs. 2, .3 and 3a closed position thefdoor is jby sliding 20 engaged by pinions 21 keyed'V to ay spindle 22 operturning gear. The wedges 1-9 force the door against a rubber vseating 23 and a vjamb 24. The door is also held against being forced open jby'V the pressure the salvage. vessel be substituted for one ofl air inside the tunnel by Vropes or chains 25V passing over pulley blocks cured respectively tothe door and to the walls of the tunnel. Iv

The water. from any sound hold can be expelledV by fitting a pipe 28. (Fig. 4) into l the hold and connecting it by a cock or valve 29,with a chamber 30 provided in theves-v.

sel A. 31 and 32 are cocks or valves connecting the chamber, respectively, with the air space in the tunnel and with the atmos` 26 and 27 se- I ing depths and connected through cocks or tance above the decks are valves 34 to a common pipe 35 enable the air in the tunnel, if at any time it is contaminated, to be exhausted and replaced by fresh air. The pipes 33 are made of diferent lengths in order that they may serve to exhaust gases of different densities which may beformed in the tunnel and which lie at different levels, the heaviest and usually the most dangerous of these gases usually being at the lowest level. On account of the large volume of air contained in may, under some conditions, be undesirable to exhaust all of the air contained in the tunnel. ln such cases only the longer pipes may be utilized in order to remove `the heaviest and more dangerous gas which, as stated, is at the lowest level. The pipe 83 may also be used, by exhaustion of the inclosed air, to vary the water level within the tunnel.

A oating air lock (Fig. 5) 36 is. con nected by cables 37 to a salvage tender and by cables 38 to the salvage vessel.

The bottom of the lock is tapered so asy when hauled down to fit ingly tapered casing or trunkpassager39 provided in the pontoon deck of the salvage vessel. Rubber or other suitable packing 40 interposed between the adjacent sides of the casing and air-lock maintainsa water-tight connection between the parts.

i A ring 4l at the bottom of the air-lock 36 is provided with holes 42 registering with slots in a flange'43 of the casingg'when the lock has been drawn into close contact with the casing, bolts 44 which are water-tight within the holes 42 are passed by operators within the lock through the slots; the heads 45 of the bolts which are oval or rectangular are then turned round so as to engage below the flange and are tightened by nuts 46 to secure the lock to the casing. f

A door '47 opening upward is provided in the air-lock anda door 48 opening inward in the trunk, so that the workmen can enter and leave the vessel at any time.

If found advisable, the car may be formed in sections adapted to move about vertical hinges so as to be more readily adapted yto the sides of the wrec In the operation of salvaging a sunken vessel, the masts, funnels or other parts o the wreck projecting any considerable disremoved by dynain a correspondoperation being brought over the wreck where it is anchored, 1 and the buoyed hawsers the tunnel, it A` mite or other suitable means vand attachV ments are made to the wreck at various points to which Vhawsers'` are secured and the free ends of the hawsers buoyed, this carried out by divers in the usual manner. The salvage yessel is then are picked up and secured to the Winches. Water isthen admitted tothe ballast tanks of the vessel until buoyancy is reduced to a small amount, in case of a large vessel to about one hundred tons.v The winches are then' actuated, the hawsers being ,wound upon the drums, and the vessel `hauled downsoas to inclose the wreck. Theend` doors are then lowered and securedv and the salvagevessel is then in a position to act as a large diving bell, the air compressors driving the water out of the tunnel and allowing thek salvage operations to be carried on inthe water-free space.v

`Vhere the vessel to be salvaged lies in comparatively deep water, the wreck may be lifted and` carried to shallower water where the operators can work for a longer period and the repairsbe executed more rapidly.

aving thus'described the nature ofthe said invention and the best meansl know of carrying the same into practical effect, I Claim 1,-*- .1.

1. A submersible salvagevessel comprising a central tunnel approximately of an inverted U section, forming achamberv inclosed above and at the sides and openbelow to the sea water, the said chamber being adapted to be closed at at least one end by a vertical door pivoted about horizontal hinges, and means for securing the door in the closed positionsL including a jamb and a resilient seating therefor, wedges for forcing the door against the jarnb,V and means vfor sliding said wedges into operative positions.

` 2. A submersible salvage vessel compris# inga central tunnel approximately of an i inverted U section, closed above and at to the sea water,

forming a chamber inthe sides and open below ALBERT JOHN FREDERICK LEE.

the said chamber being. vadapted to be closed at at least one en d by fBO 

